Category Archives: Restaurants

Chicago Food Tour Day 2: The battle for the best cupcake

March 16, 2012 – 1:18 pm

It seems like every city, no matter how big or small, has a cupcake shop. It amazes me that a bakery can make it only selling one item and it also makes me very curious to sample these items to see what all of the rage is about.

I have told you before about my love for Magnolia Bakery and when I was in Chicago this past week, I naturally had to wander in to the Magnolia there to see if the standards that NYC set were held up. Everything that I have come to expect from Magnolia was just as it should be. In addition to their cupcakes, Magnolia offers other confections that people rave about such as pies, icebox desserts, cookies and bars. I have only sampled the cupcakes, but the other desserts look just as drool-worthy.

source

I have never tried Sprinkles Cupcakes and felt that it was my sweet tooth duty to compare the other popular cupcakery to my already beloved Magnolia. Sprinkles prides themselves on having celebrity fans and using high quality ingredients for their cupcakes which are topped with their signature “modern dots”.

While the cake was incredibly moist, and the frosting was just fine, I just felt that the cupcakes were nothing to write home about. I detected no overwhelming flavor sensations and the vanilla and chocolate cake may as well have been from a box mix. Please don’t stone me to death devoted Sprinkles fans, I’m just telling it how I experienced it!

There was an unexpected contender in this battle for the country’s best cupcake. This quaint little place literally just snuck up on me.

source

Even though this place was a sleeper to me and I had never even heard of it, I made two trips in the 4 days I was in Chicago just so that I could be sure of what I am about to proclaim: Crumbs Bake Shop officially makes the best cupcake I have ever tasted!

What makes these little babies earn the top spot on my list? Well these aren’t just any old cupcake. Almost every cupcake is not only frosted and topped with wonderful things like candies, cookies or nuts but also filled with fruit preserves, buttercream, fudge and many more tempting fillings. I also love the Crumbs philosophy of celebrating the simple things in life, like the best cupcakes on earth, for example!

This cupcake was my love at first bite. It is called the Baba Booey and is a peanut butter lover’s dream come true: chocolate cake filled with peanut butter frosting and topped with peanut butter and chocolate cream cheese frosting and miniature peanut butter chips. Are you booking your trip to Chicago yet?

The bakery also offers inciting breakfast options such as scones and ginormous muffins that looked splendid, but even I only have so much room in my tummy for treats, so those will have to be a reason for me to revisit Crumbs (like I needed another reason )!

The day we left Chicago, we made one final stop and my husband and I each chose a cupcake for the road. Before I forget to mention, Crumbs cupcakes come in 4 different sizes: Taste (a mini cupcake to tease you a bit), Classic (your traditional-sized cupcake), Signature (Crumb’s most popular size and the size that you want if you are a serious sweet tooth like me) and Colossal cupcakes (perfect for a party: serves 6-8). My husband chose the Salted Caramel Cupcake which was a deep chocolate cake filled with melty salted caramel and topped with fudge sauce and I chose the Cookie Dough which was vanilla cake with chocolate fudge filling and topped with cream cheese frosting studded with cookie pieces. I regret to inform you that possibly our favorite cupcake, the Salted Caramel variety never made it to it’s photo debut. You can use imagination as to why that tragedy may have happened……

But it’s Cookie Dough friend made it far enough to introduce himself:

The cake is so moist and flavorful and that fudge filling and perfect frosting just puts these cupcake over the top into my new favorite bake shop dessert.

Don’t worry, Chicago is not the only place you can find a Crumbs cupcake of your own. There are bakeries on both coasts and you can also order your very own assortment of cupcakes and have them delivered to your door.

I hope you enjoyed my cupcake tour of Chicago (FYI: they actually have formal cupcake tours of the city that you can go on!). I always love to get new inspiration on my travels and you can bet I will be trying to replicate some of these incredibly scrumptious creations!

Did you like this? Share it:

Comments (13)

My personal food tour of Chicago: Day 1: Deep-dish Pizza including a rivalry

March 15, 2012 – 3:21 pm

I have lived in Minneapolis for 11 years now and even though Chicago is only about 400 miles away, somehow I had never made it there until last weekend! My husband has always said how much he thinks I would love Chicago since New York is my favorite city and he says Chicago is basically a midwestern New York. Since we both had a few days off, we decided to make a road trip of it and took off last Saturday for a few days of exploring a new city.

My husband knows me well and I completely fell in love with this city. The people were so friendly, the city so buzzing and beautiful, the shopping was colorful and exciting and the food was some of the best I have ever had.

Did I mention that the food was exquisite? I feel like we really hit the city hard and settled some debates in our minds: best pizza, best cupcakes, a true love for mussels. Each time I would tell my husband that we had to go get a cupcake from Magnolia, Sprinkles or Crumbs for research and because I had a duty to fulfill. Thanks for being my excuse sweet teeth! I did want to experience all that the city had to offer so that I could come home and share my food explorations with you!

Let’s start with pizza. Obviously Chicago is known for deep-dish pies oozing with sauce and cheese. If you ask most Chicago natives, they will tell you about a rivalry between two pizza joints: Lou Malnati’s and Giordano’s. My husband and I felt that if we tried one, we had to be fair and try the other one to compare. We agreed to order the same simple pepperoni pizza at both locations for a fair comparison.

First up was Lou Malnati’s. Lou’s is known for their thick, chunky tomato sauce and “World Famous Buttercrust”.

I knew we were in for a treat as soon as this pizza landed on our table.

The sauce on this pizza had big chunks of tomatoes and was a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness. The cheese was abundant, but not overwhelming. And the real magic in this slice was the crust. I almost want to describe it like a cookie. It was crispy on the outside, but perfectly chewy and not soggy on the inside. The thickness of the deep dish was ideal as it was just enough of that perfect crust without drying out the entire pizza. We were pretty sure that it couldn’t get much better than this.

On our last day, we made it a point to eat lunch at Giordano’s before we left town. Giordano’s is know for it’s stuffed deep-dish pizzas. Yes, that’s right, a bottom crust topped with cheese and any other toppings then topped with another crust that is then smothered with sauce.

As you might be able to appreciate from the photos, this pizza was basically cheese and crust with a side of sauce. I like my pizza saucy, so this didn’t do it for me nearly as much as it’s rival. The cheese was also a bit chewier and reminded me more of a mozzarella cheese stick than perfect ooey gooey pizza cheese.

I thought I would love the crust on top of more crust, but this crust just wasn’t that buttery goodness we had come to expect from deep dish. It was more dry and we found ourselves wanting extra sauce to dunk the crust in. So, if you still need me to spell it out for you, our opinion on this Chitown rivalry is that hands down, Lou Malnati’s has the BEST Chicago deep-dish pizza!

Stay tuned for my new ultimate favorite cupcake bakery!

Did you like this? Share it:

Comments (9)

Bar La Grassa

August 26, 2011 – 8:00 am

Bar La Grassa has earned itself quite a reputation around the Twin Cities. The Italian restaurant has boasted several local and national “best” restaurant awards over the past couple of years. And Chef Isaac Becker was named the 2011 James Beard Best Chef in the Midwest. Awards like that are nothing to overlook. The atmosphere at Bar La Grassa is exactly what you would hope and expect to find at an Italian restaurant in the warehouse district of Minneapolis. It is hip, packed and loud (in a good way).

I always enjoy the feeling of an open kitchen with a bar that allows you to belly up and watch the masters at work. I went to Bar La Grassa last weekend expecting to have quite a wait since I had not made a reservation, but I was pleasantly surprised to be offered immediate seating at the bar overlooking the kitchen.

When we sat down we were met with some marinated peppers and butter beans and wonderful focaccia that had a topping of salt and herbs.

After ordering some wine, it was time to explore the menu. Bar La Grassa is known for it’s homemade fresh pastas among other things, and being the pasta lover that I am, I knew that I wanted to sample some fresh noodles. However, that did not narrow down my decision much as the restaurant offers about 12 different fresh pasta selections. We decided to start with the Crispy Insalata Saporoso Vinaigrette which was a lovely green salad with frisee, fennel, pine nuts and cheese. It was an unique, fresh and light way to begin our meal.

I was lucky that my company also wanted to sample fresh pasta dishes. That way I got to try 3 different pastas without feeling totally gluttonous. I had read about the Mushroom and Taleggio Agnolotti, so that was the decision for me. The rich flavor of the mushrooms was amazing, but I am glad that the plates come in half or whole orders because a little bit of this dish goes a long way.

My mother is unable to eat cheese, so the Crab Ravioli was perfect for her. The Ravioli was paired with a rather simple cream sauce.

Finally, my husband needed some meat and so he sampled the Pappardelle with Veal Ragu. The sheets of fresh pappardelle were perfectly delicate and light, but the veal ragu was sweet, somewhat one-note and left me wanting for something: salt, spice, garlic, something.

We were too stuffed for dessert, but lucky for me, Bar La Grassa Satisfied My Sweet Tooth anyway. The check was brought with some almond brittle with a hint of chili pepper for a surprisingly warm and lovely slow burn.

What is your favorite pasta dish and/or restaurant?

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags Italian, Sauce | Comments (2)

Broders’ Pasta Bar (i.e. my absolute favorite)

June 30, 2011 – 8:00 am

Oh Broders’, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

I love that you are the perfect date spot
I love your intimate patio that focuses on small plates (many of them grilled) and great wine
I love sitting at your pasta bar and visiting with other patrons which inevitably leads to recommendations and discussion about other wonderful restaurants
I love your servers (always the same 3) who have been there for years and know your menu inside and out
I love your inverted colander lights that give off the perfect soft ambient light
I love your pasta (do I even need to mention this??) and unique, unexpected, simple flavor combinations
I love your insalate, antipasti, dolci, vino, espresso…

My husband and I went on a date to Broders’ Pasta Bar a couple of weeks ago and as usual, it did not disappoint. We had the pleasure of sitting at the Antipasto Bar outside and the Pasta Bar inside and we also got to meet and visit with Charlie Broder, the general manager of the restaurant. Charlie has been working in the restaurant and across the street at Broders’ Cucina Italiana (think deli, takeout, imported products) since he was a child. While the restaurant is family run, it is interesting that no one in the family is Italian. The space that the restaurant occupies used to be a gas station and although the restaurant has been open and successful for many years, the location at 50th Street and Penn Avenue in South Minneapolis is still Broders’ only location in the Twin Cities. Despite lines of hungry customers everyday of the week, Broders’ has not expanded it’s successful business. And I for one am happy about this. There is something about waiting for your table with giddy anticipation about what the nightly specials might be and the sheer joy of feeling like you have just won the lottery when they finally tell you that your table is ready. The wait is always worth it.

“Ocean City shrimp”, old bay, lemon, olive oil

polenta cakes with tomato, mushroom & caper ragu

burrata, local baby lettuce, fava beans & wild arugula

capellini with crab, red & green chilies, tomato & white wine

ravioli con prosciutto di parma: house made goat cheese ravioli with prosciutto di parma & smoked mozzarella

tiramisù

carrot cake: cream cheese frosting, pine nuts, honey & carrots

Ahhh, la dolce vita

Did you like this? Share it:

Tags Italian, Wine | Comment (0)

Travail Kitchen and Amusements

June 19, 2011 – 8:00 am

Un. Be. Liev. Ab. Le. That’s is how I would describe our meal at Travail Kitchen and Amusements.

I have heard about the wonders of Travail for over a year and I cannot figure out why it has taken me this long to experience them. Travail is a small, quaint restaurant in Robbinsdale, MN (northwest of Minneapolis).

The ambiance is simple, utilitarian, nothing fancy. Trust me, none of this matters. You will not be dining here for the romantic atmosphere. You will be there for the FOOD.

There is an open kitchen that takes center stage and if you are lucky, you might even get to sit up at the bar overlooking the kitchen and watch the masters at work.

The menu is very simple, like many things at the restaurant. Simplicity is a beautiful thing, especially when it comes to food.

Each night, Travail features a 10 course tasting menu for 2 people that is an incredible value. While everything on it sounded wonderful, we wanted to make our own tasting menu and sample all of the things that sounded too good to miss. The servers are incredibly passionate about food and offer detailed descriptions of preparation, ingredients and accompaniments for each dish.

We started with the Figlets: bacon-wrapped figs stuffed with goat cheese. Enough said.

Along with the Figlets, we had this beautiful beet salad. Red and yellow beets, sliced jalepeños, green apples, beet purée and beet powder. Beet powder, you say? Let the molecular gastronomy fun begin!

Blue cheese tater tots with truffle oil and homemade ketchup: ”fair” food at it’s best.

Course #4 (but who’s counting?): housemade Agnolotti. Agnolotti is stuffed pasta similar to ravioli. Travail’s creation was filled with parsnips and goat cheese with an herb butter sauce, thinly sliced potatoes and parsnip foam.

Next up: sea bass. Served with crispy skin, minestrone broth, roasted summer vegetables and pancetta froth.

Now for surprisingly one of my favorite dishes of the evening: homemade tofu covered in the most lovely curry coconut broth and served with thinly shaved carrots, zucchini and large pieces of broccoli. The tofu had a beautiful texture almost similar to mozzarella cheese and the light curry flavor with the perfectly cooked vegetables was absolute perfection.

Possibly my favorite dish of the entire evening was the sweet potato soup. Sounds simple enough, but the complex and warm flavors were amazing and the best part was the marshmallows on the bottom of the soup that slowly melted and oozed and gave the soup a lovely sweetness. If I could swim in this soup all day and use the marshmallows as pillows at night, I would.

And for our final savory course, it was only fair to give the boy some meat. Steak with fried polenta cake, brussel sprouts and mushrooms. No complaints.

Enough savory already. Time to Satisfy My Sweet Tooth! Naturally, I insisted on the dessert tasting menu. Don’t give me that look. The previous eight courses were really quite small, and I told you to stop counting!

Dessert course #1: lemon bars, cream puff with strawberries and very minty and refreshing mojito shots.

And then came a white chocolate tart with orange rhubarb coulis and elderflower ice cream. At this point I was beginning to wonder if we were secretly part of a test audience for a new season of Top Chef. Oh how I love food.

Second to last was the chocolate offering: a chocolate mousse cake with chocolate wafers, mousse-stuffed cherries, cherry Dip N’ Dots and tarragon oil. While I am a serious chocoholic, fruit with chocolate is not one of my favorite combinations, so this dessert was not my favorite (good thing we had 3 others so there was no need for disappointment during my favorite part of any meal).

Last, but certainly not least, came a light and refreshing melon soup with melon, grapefruit, blackberries, panna cotta and spec, all cooled by a fresh pour of liquid nitrogen.

(Insert “OOH’s” and “AAH’s” here)

In case you have not figured it out, Travail highly exceeded my expectations. If you are a foodie who wants to geek out and be impressed by rare techniques and delightfully unique flavor combinations or you are just looking for a new restaurant to try, may I highly recommend Travail for your next dining experience?